Pestilence, War, Famine and Death rumbled down Front Street on Sunday night. The Blue Jackets
lost a game. Heavens.

Columbus and its fans are in a playoff race, and every shift is taking on biblical proportions.
Victory is redemption. Loss is damnation. Isn't it fun?

Last week, an addled Calgary Flames fan phoned in death threats in an attempt to get Jackets
rookie goaltender Steve Mason out of a game. Mason posted a shutout.

During the weekend, the Jackets had a home-and-home series with the St. Louis Blues, and the
Jackets were less than inspiring. They lost in overtime in the Scottrade Center and got thumped 5-2
in Nationwide Arena. As the fans filed out of the building into the chill of Sunday night, their
thoughts could be read, as if they had cartoon bubbles floating above their heads.

"Devastating."

"We're so close."

"Why, God? Why?"

Others within the city limits refuse to jump on the bandwagon, for fear the Spring Game might be
sullied by distractions. This first NHL playoff run is somehow threatening to them and, rather than
enjoy the vibe, they will revel in angst when afforded the chance.

Sunday provided an opportunity. Even the coach was angst-ridden. At his postgame news
conference, Ken Hitchcock looked like a proponent of Civil War surgery, which was heavy on bone
saws and light on anesthesia. Had Hitch a saw, he would have started with Fedor Tyutin's legs, and
then made an attempt on his own neck.

Hitchcock took the loss so hard he conjured threats, real and imagined. He sees the Blues and
the Predators coming from behind (and they are on the come). He also sees invisible fog and
nefarious elves conspiring to sap the competitive fire from any Jacket who doesn't finish a
check.

It is difficult -- for coaches, players, fans, anyone -- to take a breath these days. Pause now.
Give breathing a chance.

"We're still in a good spot," said defenseman Mike Commodore, a veteran of playoff chases, not
to mention Stanley Cup chases.

"Yeah, it's tighter now but (golly), you win two in a row and people are talking, 'Why not
fourth place' or 'Who do you want to play in the first round?' That's why I don't talk about it,
because it changes in a hurry. You lose two games in a row and people are talking meltdowns. We
just need to play well and win our way in."

That is what they have been doing.

The Jackets are 7-2-2 in their past 11 games. They have secured at least a point in 18 of their
past 23 games. The road has been their traditional bugaboo, and they have secured 14 out of a
possible 22 points in their past 11 road games. All these numbers can be crunched into one
sentence: The Jackets have been above the playoff bar for five weeks.

They are in sixth place now, with 86 points -- two ahead of Nashville, three ahead of St. Louis
and four ahead of Anaheim. Yeah, it is tighter now. But the Jackets have played well enough for
long enough to grasp their own destiny, and that is a salient point. Judging by the pertinent
samples that are available -- their record, their goalie's record, their play in the second half of
the season, their lack of fear -- they will take care of business.

It is right there in front of them. The Jackets have six games remaining, three at home
(Nashville, Chicago, Minnesota) and three on the road (Nashville, Chicago, St. Louis). The games
against the Predators and the Blues are of obvious and major import. But the bottom line is this:
Two or three more victories will get the Jackets in the playoffs. Can they manage it? Of course,
they can.

Last weekend's series against the Blues, which left Jackets fans so ashen, was simply one point
gained and three lost. Now it is in the past. Ahead is more redemption and damnation, invisible fog
and elves, 12 more days of a playoff race. Enjoy.